TOWSON, Md. - First off, congratulations to the Towson women's basketball team for making it into the top 20 of the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. The Tigers had a great last-second victory over Charles Street rival Loyola last week.
Coach Joe Mathews and his squad can make a real statement over the next five days. The Tiger women will be on the road to face two of the best teams the CAA has to offer.
On Thursday night, the Tigers travel to Newark, Del. to take on the Blue Hens. Delaware has been in the national top 25 poll for most of the season.
The Blue Hens are led by junior Elena Delle Donne, who has been leading the nation in scoring for most of the year. Delle Donne is averaging 28.8 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game. Not only that, but she has 30 blocked shots in 11 games and shoots 50% from three point range. To say Nyree Williams and the Tiger front line will have their hands full would be an understatement. Delaware is 10-1 this year with its only loss being to Maryland last week by nine points.
After Thursday's gmae, the Tigers head to Philadelphia to take on long-time rival Drexel at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Zach Maskavich and I will have that game for you on WNST-AM 1570. The Dragons are 1-0 in the CAA entering this week's play and 5-6 overall.
The Tigers will then return home for two of their next three games starting on January 12 against William and Mary.
The Tiger men's team has two road games as well this week. Coach Pat Skerry and his squad will try to get their first win of the season tonight against Drexel. Coach Bruiser Flint and his troops will be out for blood after losing to Georgia State down in Atlanta on Monday. The Dragons sit at 0-2 in conference play, which has the Drexel fans nervous as the Dragons were picked as the preseason favorite to win the CAA this year.
There is one thing you can be sure of - when you play Drexel, you will face as tough of a man-to-man defense as you will see all year. Chris Fouch, the Dragons' best outside weapon, missed the early part of the season, but is getting into form after scoring 18 against Georgia State on Monday.
The Dragons also feature one of the best inside men in the league in Samme Givens.
The Tigers did a nice job in the first half against Northeastern Monday night only committing seven turnovers. If the Tigers can keep that pace up for 40 minutes, they will be in every game. The Tigers also outrebounded their opponent on Monday by a 36-25 margin.
On Saturday night, the Tigers head to Norfolk, Va. for a matchup with perennial CAA power Old Dominion. The Monarchs have struggled at times this season, but they are 2-0 in the CAA after an overtime come-from-behind victory over James Madison on Monday afternoon.
Coach Blaine Taylor features one of the most exciting players in the CAA with Kent Bazemore. He may be the most athletic player in the CAA and is the type of guy that can take over a game.
Both the Drexel and Old Dominion games this week can be heard on WNST-AM 1570 with me and the legend, Vince Angotti.
One of the pleasures of doing these games are the great people you get to work with. Coach Angotti is at the top of this broadcaster's list. Vince and I will get a chance to spend a lot of time together talking about everything under the sun. Just a few weeks ago, we drove back from Massachusetts together and in those nearly seven hours, the conversation never stopped. The trip back didn't seem anywhere as long as it really was.
The Tiger men's squad will return to the Towson Center next Wednesday, January 11 to take on William and Mary. The Tribe has just one win this season; hopefully by then, the Tigers will have two victories.
As we all watch Coach Skerry's team, the one thing that stands out is how hard they play for 40 minutes. I have said it before and will say it again - Once the Tigers get that first win, the wins will start coming much more often.
Don't forget that Damon Lewis and I will be live from Bill Bateman's Thursday night for another addition of Tiger Talk from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Coach Skerry will be with us to talk about the Drexel game and the Saturday matchup with Old Dominion. If you can't make it out to Bateman's, you can hear Tiger Talk on WNST-AM 1570 or right here on TowsonTigers.com.
And kudos to Damon. If you haven't seen the Tigers' new website, ThisIsTowson.com, please visit it as soon as you can. Damon did a fabulous job leading the charge on a website that is unlike any other in college sports. Check it out. It's first class all the way.
Until next week, GO TIGERS!!
